[paul.fr]

Without going to the expense of buying an adobe product, is there a free software to make pdf files?

[chris]

Yes, there's an excellent package, available free, called CutePDF, which I use all the time.

Chris

[neilep]

...and here's an alternative  http://www.exp-systems.com/


...and here is an excellent website with awesome stuff !!

http://100-downloads.com/

and Foxit reader is an awesome and faster PDF reader than Adobe

http://www.foxitsoftware.com/

[another_someone]

There are numerous products, as others have indicated, that will produce PDF files.  Might I ask what you are trying to create PDF files from?

Most of my PDF files are created from word processing documents, for which I use Open Office, which can generate PDF files directly (either from its own documents, or from MS Word documents).  Just checked, and IrfanView can generate PDF documents from image files (PNG, JPEG, etc.).  Both of these are freebie.

The choice is endless - it really depends on what suites you best.

[paul.fr]

Thank you all for the replies, i will try them all.

Might I ask what you are trying to create PDF files from?

Mainly word pad files. Due to me forgetting almost everything i learn, i had numerous notepads and folders around with various notes on them, etc. I have sort of got them all on word pad files spread over three computers and various memory sticks....so, yes i tend to lose lots of them.

I have the idea that if i can put then on pdf files, not only can i include diagrams and pictures, i also hope to be able to store them better...fat chance, but worth trying.

[neilep]

Gosh !!...you keep notes !!

Awesome.....everything I learn goes on a single mini post-it-note.....after 4 years here I've almost filled it half up !  []

[another_someone]

I cannot then see that PDF is likely to give you what you are looking for.

PDF is a publishing format (whether publishing documents on the web, or sending pre-press documents to the printers).  It is not an editing medium, and as a storage format, it offers nothing that many other formats do not offer.

As for mixing pictures, diagrams, and text in one document - yes, PDF will do that, but only if you have the software to do it with, and it is the software that is key to it (and that software will probably also do the same mix in a number of other file formats).

OpenOffice (or even MS-Word - but OpenOffice is free) will allow you to mix diagrams, text, and pictures; as will any DTP software (e.g. Scribus, that is also free, and all DTP software now must be able to produce PDF files because of the use of PDF by the printing industry).

Whether such a complex solution is the best is another question - but only one that you can answer for what works for you.  For myself, I prefer to keep notes in plain text files (I use a text processor called SC1, but Notepad would do as well).  The advantage with raw text is that it is much more searchable (if I cannot remember which file I put a note in, but I remember a key word that will only be in that file (e.g. a person's name), then I just launch the windows search facility to look for all *.txt files that contain that word.  If you have a complex formatted file, then the search facility cannot look inside the file.

[paul.fr]

I cannot then see that PDF is likely to give you what you are looking for.

Ahh, but it is what i am looking for. It is not just the format, but the presentation, granted you can insert pictures and diagrams in to a word document, but they are just not as pleasing to the eye as a pdf file.

Even my own notes and work has to look sexy for me to be bothered to read it.

[DrQuincy]

Are you using Windows? There's a really good free program called PrimoPDF that you can install (just Google it). What it does is it acts as a printer driver but instead of printing to your hardware printer it prints electronically to a PDF file. So, anything that can be printed (from File > Print) can be converted to PDF.

Also, the free office suite, OpenOffice, has an Export to PDF option.

Other operating systems are ahead of the game. If you're using a non-Windows OS such as a Linux distribution or Mac OS X then it's built into the operating system. I'm not a Windows user but I understand they tried to get PDF export built into Vista but got rebuffed due to a licensing issue.

[JimBob]

I cannot then see that PDF is likely to give you what you are looking for.

Ahh, but it is what i am looking for. It is not just the format, but the presentation, granted you can insert pictures and diagrams in to a word document, but they are just not as pleasing to the eye as a pdf file.

Even my own notes and work has to look sexy for me to be bothered to read it.

Not to mention that .pdf Files are of a smaller size. SO if you have a LOT of notes and put them in  one .pdf then the aggregate size will be smaller. If, however, they are discrete size, the computer will store each file in one format sector, which with Micro$oft, keeps growing in size. I this it is up to 128K now. - Don't quote me on that.

What ever happened to 8 bit sectors?

[Igor]

I've tried the free version of CutePDF and another free PDF writer, in both cases the hyperlinks did not work: the links appeared coloured and underlined on the PDF document but there was no link. Have hyperlinks been disabled on free PDF writers ?, I'd be willing to pay for the full version if it could cope with hyperlinks.

[RD]

The "openoffice" free suite of programmes includes a wordprocessor which will export as PDF documents where hyperlinks are active.
The suite is 130Mb and takes 10min to download, 5min to install, but it is free.

http://openoffice.org-suite.com/index.asp?aff=101&camp=gg_oo_uk&se=google

[techmind]

There's another (free) package called PDF995   www.pdf995.com
which seems to do the job.
I don't know how it compares to the others, but something to try.
I'm using it for a few tasks this week, and will update you of any findings.


While I support open-source software in principle, I have Open Office installed at home but find it rather clunky and don't use it very much.


How much file-size reduction you get with PDF depends very much on the software and parameters you use when you create the PDF. I have had the pleasure of using the full Acrobat in the past -which gives you loads of control-. With the free alternatives you tend to get less control, and either end up still with big files, or with small files with lousy image-quality.
There are also options you can use within Word to stop it storing so much document "history", which may bring your file-size down. You could also make a habit of manually downsizing images appropriately (in a separate graphics program) before putting them into Word - but it takes self-discipline and is quite a lot of hassle.

[tedstruk]

.PDF files are definition files.  That is to say, they are complete pages prepared and not updatable.  The applications that open them are container classes and are generally simple browsers with special attributes to enhance the actual definition files that it will open.  It isn't a big thing, but the extensible markup language is not compatible with definition files, and vice versa.  You need to understand...you must have the application that opens the file, before you can open it. .pdf files are generally opened with adobe acrobat reader and are not always version compatible.  I think if you want to create .pdf files you need to know this stuff is not always perfect, and the system may just refuse to read a perfect file, if the application is not right. So one for one? Build a file you know will work, rather than trusting a server ware with an attitude.

[engrByDayPianstByNight]

Paul,

    I write in MS Word files, and "print" using a generic postscript printer (the software is freely and readily available online; just google "generic postscript printer") to save the word file into a .prn (or .ps) one, then open the GSView (GhostView) to "convert" it to .pdf (the words in quotes refer to actual commands in the respective software applications). The colors you have in the Word file are preserved in the .pdf file.

    The conversion quality is quite good as far as academic publishing. Sometimes though, the .pdf file might be off the format from your word file. This happens especially if you pack too much text/figure in each page of the Word file. I haven't figured out why this happens though.

   

[paul.fr]

Paul,

    I write in MS Word files, and ".............

thanks for that, I will give it a try.

[engrByDayPianstByNight]

Good luck with that. Also when you "print" using the postscript printer, be sure to check the option "print to file."

Paul,

    I write in MS Word files, and ".............

thanks for that, I will give it a try.